Goodnight Saigon
by Karrah Aretz
Summary: sequel to Ohio, We'll all go down together


Goodnight Saigon   
by Maureen  
  
music and lyrics by Billy Joel, Val and Catie belong to Disney and I am not making any money off of this. Trust me.   
  
This is the stand-alone sequel for Ohio. You don't have to read it to understand this fic, but it would help. Minor swearing. Enjoy.   
  
For Nick - kick butt, take names.  
  
***  
  
We met as soul mates   
On Parris Island   
We left as inmates   
From an asylum   
And we were sharp   
As sharp as knives   
And we were so gung ho   
To lay down our lives   
  
  
iDear Catie,   
  
Boot camp is hell, but then what else did we expect? My hair is now about two inches long, it makes it easier to care for and it can't be grabbed if I am attacked. Everything is very methodical, which is how it should be for both the military and for the medical corps, but I don't know...I came her to save lives and they are training me to take them. I have to go, I ship out in two days and there is a lot to do.   
  
love, Val/i  
  
Val looked up from her letter, tears beginning to form in her eyes. It was short, but Catie would understand. Gone was the perky, peppy cheerleader and in her place was a shell of a woman in combat fatigues with an overgrown buzz cut.   
  
"Hey Linear!" Baker, one of her squadmates called, "I got a razor! Let's get this done!"  
  
She was referring to their hair. All the girls had started boot camp several months ago with hair at about their shoulders or longer, thinking that medicorps wouldn't have the same training as infantry, but they weren't ordinary medicorps. By some horrible twist of fate, they were field medics, which meant they went into battle with everyone else. It also made long hair impractical, even if it was allowed. Most of the girls had been cutting their hair shorter and shorter, trying to prepare themselves for what was about to happen.   
  
They were going G.I.Jane and shavng their heads. Setting her jaw, Val stepped up to the electric razor, not ready but determined to go through with it. After they shaved their heads they took a group picture using the poloroid camera they had. Val stuck her copy in Catie's letter before sending it out.  
  
  
We came in spastic   
Like tameless horses   
We left in plastic   
As numbered corpses   
And we learned fast   
To travel light   
Our arms were heavy   
But our bellies were tight   
  
iDear Catie,  
  
China is terrible. The humidity is trying to strangle me, the bugs are out for my blood and I don't care if it is summer, I haven't seen the sun in nearly a week I think. And this is without commenting on the food, living conditions or my fellow troops. The guys aren't so bad, I know they mean well, but....I'm not like them. Enough about my complaints though. Let me tell you about what I'm really doing.  
  
We are patrolling some piece of god-forsaken land that I doubt the Chinese even want. And I get to carry my pack plus medical supplies with me and give out benadryl and calamine lotion, because the worst medical ailment are more bug bites than we know what to do with. DDT doesn't seem to be working, but what do I know?  
  
Right now we are on a break until tomorrow morning, then we are supposed to attack this bunker that intel found. I suppose I'm excited to do something different, but I'm nervous. This will probably be real war. Violence. I may have to kill. I may have to perform emergency surgery or something. A man may die because of me. God, I'm scared Catie. I'm so scared.  
  
love, Val/i  
  
Sealing the letter and putting in the out going mail, she headed towards her bunk to clean her gun before going to sleep. They had been trained to kill and to fight and damn it if she was going to admit to these yutz's that she was scared shitless. Only Catie was allowed to know.  
  
We had no home front   
We had no soft soap   
They sent us Playboy   
They gave us Bob Hope   
We dug in deep   
And shot on sight   
And prayed to Jesus Christ   
With all our might   
  
  
iDear Catie,   
  
The battle was beyond description. Remember the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan? Like that, but much, much worse. Oh Catie, I miss you. I had to amputate this mans arm on the feild to save his life. I feel horrible. I just want to curl up and die. I look back at my life BW (before war) and now and I can't believe how much I have changed. I just want you officer people to get the politicians or whoever to end this so I can go home! I miss Brooke and you and Tyler and Hank and I even miss Carlson! I know you don't believe me or anything, but I do. I didn't realize it then, but life was so much simpler. /i  
  
Val put the letter away to finish later.  
  
She hefted her backpack once more, wishing the blistering sun would let up. She didn't mind the marching for miles everyday so much anymore, but she really hated the sun. It had burned her skin raw and it was now peeling. At least now she wouldn't burn more. If only the bugs wouldn't think she was such a good meal. Then she'd be on her way to happiness.  
  
It was odd, she reflected, how her values had changed. A shower or a bath with good soap and shampoo in a tiled bathroom seemed like heaven to her. Only a few months ago she would have considered that a basic necessity, not a luxury.   
  
Later that ngiht, she set her pack down for the evening she pulled out her paper and pen to finsih her letter.  
  
iOkay, back now. I'm sunburned and peeling, very unattractive, but there are not beauty pagents here. I hope you're having fun in college, wish I was there (and I wish you never come here!).  
  
love, Val/i  
  
We had no cameras   
To shoot the landscape   
We passed the hash pipe   
And played our Doors tapes   
And it was dark   
So dark at night   
And we held on to each other   
Like brother to brother   
We promised our mothers we'd write   
  
  
iDear Catie,   
  
I liked the stickers you sent me. I put one my gun, on the butt where no one will see it. I want to put them on my helmet, but I think the bright pink flowers would attract attention. A few guys have tried to hit on me, there aren't too many female feild medics, but I won't do anything with them. I am not waiting for Tyler or anything, but now is just not the time, I want to sleep at night. Maybe in different circumstances I would date a few of them though. They aren't hopeless...just deprived.   
  
They send girlie mags to the guys, but nothing to the women here. I'd like some soap. Good scented soap and a pumice stone. I know you can't send them, but a girl can dream right? I think that's all that's sustaining me right now. Dreams. And of course your letters.  
  
Never stop writing, please.  
  
Love, Val  
  
PS please don't tell my mom any of this, she'd freak. /i  
  
And we would all go down together   
We said we'd all go down together   
Remember Charlie   
Remember Baker   
They left their childhood   
On every acre   
  
iDear Catie,   
  
My squad had it's first casualties today. As we were marching we were attacked, it was a short battle but we lost Baker, the other female medic with me and Charlie, a nice boy from Oklahoma who never once made a pass at me and would blush and be all awkward around me. Poor boy still believed in Uncle Sam and the Tooth Fairy I think.   
  
I have tried to keep some distance from my squad simply because I am a woman and I don't want to be labled as a 'dyke', but I have tried hard also to not be labled a snob. Can you believe this? I was the first to label people, right Ms. Bleacher Junkie?   
  
Anyways, I will miss them. It is so different working on random soldiers and then the next one, without you even realizing it, is one of yours. It's like when that kid died back in high school. We didn't know him or have classes with him, but we mourned with everyone else. Well now imagine he was in your class, but not your friend. The blow hits closer to home, even though it isn't as close as it could have been.  
  
All of this has me thinking about death more now...but more on that in my next letter.  
  
love, Val/i  
  
And who was wrong?   
And who was right?   
It didn't matter in the thick of the fight   
We held the day   
In the palm   
Of our hand   
They ruled the night   
And the night   
Seemed to last as long as six weeks   
  
Val looked at her last three letters, all returned to her. "Return to sender" was written to the first one, "recipient deceased", tears welled up in her eyes. No, she wouldn't cry right now, she had a job to do!  
  
"Problem, Linear?" her commander asked, gruff but still caring.   
  
"No sir," she replied, wiping her face with blood stained hands and succeeding in smearing the blood across her face.   
  
He looked at her.  
  
"My best friend died. She was in officers school...not in combat. I'll be fine." Val trid to assure him. "I can still perform my duties."  
  
"I'm sorry about your friend, Valerie," he said, suprising Val by using her first name. She wasn't even sure he had known it. "But you are needed here, you need to save these boys so their mother's don't get letters like yours."  
  
"Yes sir!" Val replied, ready to head back to work. It was how she had always been, once the shock passed sh edid anything to keep her mind busy and in the heat of battle there was no time to mourn.   
  
On Parris Island   
We held the coastline   
They held the highlands   
And they were sharp   
As sharp as knives   
They heard the hum of our motors   
They counted the rotors   
And waited for us to arrive   
  
As the dawn broke, Val and the other medics worked quickly despite exhaustion. They were so concerned with their current patient, they didn't notice the Chinese solier as he krept up behind them. He shot Val before she even knew he was there, as she fell to the ground she knew what had happened.   
  
"I'm coming Catie," she thought before everything became black.  
  
And we would all go down together   
We said we'd all go down together   
Yes we would all go down together 


End file.
